Kahikatea is New Zealand’s tallest native tree, forming towering forest canopies in lowland and wetland environments. Traditionally dominant in swamp forests, this elegant conifer is valued for its graceful foliage, striking buttressed trunks, and bright red fruit that attracts native birds.
🌱 Plant Description
• Growth habit: Tall evergreen conifer
• Foliage:
o Juvenile: Drooping, needle-like leaves with a bronze tinge
o Mature: Dark green compressed scale leaves
• Cones: Small pollen-bearing cones on male trees
• Fruit: Bright red, fleshy structures bearing seeds, attractive to native birds
• Height: 50–65 m in natural forest
o Around 9 m after 20 years in garden conditions
• Flowering: October – January (flowers not obvious)
• Fruiting: February – April
🌍 Natural Habitat
• Native forests of both the North and South Islands
• Often found in swampy or poorly drained areas, floodplains, and wet forest
• Historically formed extensive kahikatea swamp forests
🌿 Growing Environment
• Salt tolerant
• Wetland tolerant (happy with wet feet)
• Shade tolerant when young
• Wind tolerant
Young plants often establish best with some shelter or partial shade.
📍 Endemic Distribution
• Native to New Zealand
• Occurs on the North, South, and Stewart Islands
🌾 Uses
• Bird food and attractant
• Bee food
• Wetland and forest restoration
• Large specimen tree for spacious landscapes
🪴 Cultivation Notes
Kahikatea is an excellent choice for swampy or poorly drained areas where many other trees struggle. While it eventually becomes a very large forest tree, it can also be grown as a striking specimen tree in large gardens or restoration plantings.
📏 Approximate product size:
• PB3/4 (5cm – 20cm, 350ml)
• PB3 (20cm – 70cm, 1.5L)
• PB8 (50cm+, 3.5L)
• PB18 (1m+, 8.5L)
⏱️ Timeframe:
We ship Monday – Wednesday for South Island customers and Monday/Tuesday for Rural and North Island customers. Orders placed outside these days will be fulfilled the following week.
Local pick ups and/or deliveries will be made by arrangement.
“We’ll donate $1 per plant sold to national conservation efforts, helping to protect and restore New Zealand’s natural heritage”
Kahikatea is New Zealand’s tallest native tree, forming towering forest canopies in lowland and wetland environments. Traditionally dominant in swamp forests, this elegant conifer is valued for its graceful foliage, striking buttressed trunks, and bright red fruit that attracts native birds.
🌱 Plant Description
• Growth habit: Tall evergreen conifer
• Foliage:
o Juvenile: Drooping, needle-like leaves with a bronze tinge
o Mature: Dark green compressed scale leaves
• Cones: Small pollen-bearing cones on male trees
• Fruit: Bright red, fleshy structures bearing seeds, attractive to native birds
• Height: 50–65 m in natural forest
o Around 9 m after 20 years in garden conditions
• Flowering: October – January (flowers not obvious)
• Fruiting: February – April
🌍 Natural Habitat
• Native forests of both the North and South Islands
• Often found in swampy or poorly drained areas, floodplains, and wet forest
• Historically formed extensive kahikatea swamp forests
🌿 Growing Environment
• Salt tolerant
• Wetland tolerant (happy with wet feet)
• Shade tolerant when young
• Wind tolerant
Young plants often establish best with some shelter or partial shade.
📍 Endemic Distribution
• Native to New Zealand
• Occurs on the North, South, and Stewart Islands
🌾 Uses
• Bird food and attractant
• Bee food
• Wetland and forest restoration
• Large specimen tree for spacious landscapes
🪴 Cultivation Notes
Kahikatea is an excellent choice for swampy or poorly drained areas where many other trees struggle. While it eventually becomes a very large forest tree, it can also be grown as a striking specimen tree in large gardens or restoration plantings.
📏 Approximate product size:
• PB3/4 (5cm – 20cm, 350ml)
• PB3 (20cm – 70cm, 1.5L)
• PB8 (50cm+, 3.5L)
• PB18 (1m+, 8.5L)
⏱️ Timeframe:
We ship Monday – Wednesday for South Island customers and Monday/Tuesday for Rural and North Island customers. Orders placed outside these days will be fulfilled the following week.
Local pick ups and/or deliveries will be made by arrangement.
“We’ll donate $1 per plant sold to national conservation efforts, helping to protect and restore New Zealand’s natural heritage”
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